Wednesday 27th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 87)

Round-by-round summaries of every game in recent series; for every series in the last 5 years, try cdb, the Countdown database. Obviously this forum contains spoilers!

Moderator: James Robinson

Post Reply
User avatar
Rhys Benjamin
Postmaster General
Posts: 3101
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:28 pm

Wednesday 27th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 87)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Channel 4's broken again!

So, what's the max from "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET... ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS", anyone?

Timeline of the failure:
2:05pm - Dane Baptiste's face freezes on Steph's Crap Lunch.
2:06pm-2:09pm - ad break is cued in as normal.
2:10pm - we cut back to Dane Baptiste.
2:17pm - Dane Baptiste's [censored]-face (the frame it was frozen on from Steph's Crap Lunch) has been replaced by "Programmes continue shortly".
2:23pm - Countdown starts.

----

Annedown LXXXVI, then. In addition, however, Channel 4 HD is about 7 seconds behind Channel 4 SD. There's also no continuity announcement or sponsor bumper at the start.

Countdown recap for Wednesday 27 October 2021.

National Black Cat Day, says Anne, so she suggests some more "unlucky" days.

C1: Champion Jasamrit Rahala (7 wins, 658 points.)
C2: Challenger Mick Duthie. From Birmingham. CNC machinist. In English, that's "a lathe turned on its side". Mick is recovering from throat cancer, so he sounds very hoarse.
DC: Susie Dent and Len Goodman.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: H E S G U S C E P
R02: B O L D E A R P A
R03: 100, 4, 5, 9, 5, 8. Target: 947.
TTT: ARKVOWEL - "An easy win without needing to run."
R04: L I H O M T E E D
R05: S L A E I N T R E
R06: 50, 4, 1, 8, 2, 3. Target: 193.
R07: S O O M D T A I G
R08: N I L M E U Y D T
R09: 25, 75, 50, 100, 4, 8. Target: 262.
TTT: DIALTWIN - "It's behind you, but when you turn around, it's gone."
R10: S E L G I U T V O
R11: P E S R C R E A D
R12: C I R I E K M F N
R13: R A W N E T F S I
R14: 6, 9, 1, 6, 1, 2. Target: 535.
R15: E B A Y L U V I S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: H E S G U S C E P

Jasamrit: PUSHES (6)
Mick: PUSHES (6)
DC: CHEEPS (6) GUSHES (6) SEGUES (6)
OT: CUSHES (6) EEPHUS (6) PESCHS (6) SPEECH (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6, jos 6)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Flaaaaat.

Round 2: B O L D E A R P A

Jasamrit: BLARED (6)
Mick: BOLDER (6)
DC: ADORABLE (8)
OT: PARABOLE (8) ROADABLE (8)
Score: 12–12 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

Len starts singing "A is for ADORABLE", and segues into getting an eight.

Round 3: 100, 4, 5, 9, 5, 8. Target: 947.

Jasamrit: 947. (100 + 5) × 9 + 8 ÷ 4​ (10)
Mick: 947. (100 + 5) × 9 + 8 ÷ 4​ (10)
Score: 22–22 (max 24, jos 24)

Not quite Ariana, but still easy peasy Lib Dem squeezy.

Teatime teaser: ARKVOWEL -> WALKOVER

Round 4: L I H O M T E E D

Jasamrit: DEMOTE (6)
Mick: DEMOTE (6)
DC: HOTEL (5) MOTEL (5) ETHMOID (7)
OT: HOMELET (7) LITHOED (7) METHIDE (7)
Score: 28–28 (max 31, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)

Both contestants are on six here, with seven the max here.

Round 5: S L A E I N T R E

Jasamrit: TRAINEES (8)
Mick: slantier (risk)
DC: ENTRAILS (8) LATRINES (8) SALIENT (7) TREENAILS (18)
OT: ANTLERIES (18) RESALIENT (18)
Score: 36–28 (max 49, jos 49)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)

Who else booed when the last vowel wasn't an O...? Anyway, there are a few nines in there, but Mick gets caught out by the two-syllable-comparative rule.

Round 6: 50, 4, 1, 8, 2, 3. Target: 193.

Jasamrit: 193. 50 × 4 − 8​ + 1 (10)
Mick: 193. 50 × 4 − 8​ + 1 (10)
Score: 46–38 (max 59, jos 59)

thank u, next

Len talks about how the likes of Anton Du Beke started dancing ages 7, but he himself did not start until 21, when he was persuaded to by a friend as "there were about 35 girls and 4 boys". He talks about how his career blew up from there.

Round 7: S O O M D T A I G

Jasamrit: STOOD (5)
Mick: MODIST (6) **
DC: DIATOMS (7) MASTOID (7)
Score: 46–44 (max 66, jos 66)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)

Oooh... controversy time. Susie has disallowed MODIST in the past twice before, and the last time there was this discussion which seemed to suggest Susie was right to say no back then. Apterous also says no, and Lexico is clear as mud.

Mick has watched Countdown since the very first episode.

Round 8: N I L M E U Y D T

Jasamrit: untimed
Mick: DILUTE (6)
DC: UNTIMELY (8) MINUTELY (8)
OT: UNITEDLY (8)
Score: 46–50 (max 74, jos 74)
Darren-o-meter: 0/6 (0%)

No UNTIMED^, so Mick gets to take the lead with his DILUTE offering of six. Jasamrit is not a million miles away, however, as UNTIMELY is valid and would have been worth 8.

Round 9: 25, 75, 50, 100, 4, 8. Target: 262.

Jasamrit: 262. (100 + 4) × 75 ÷ 25 − 50​ (10)
Mick: 262. 75 × 4 − 50​ + 8 + 100 ÷ 25 (10)
Score: 56–60 (max 84, jos 84)

Awwww, no one did the "snake" (Cole, 2021) method.

Teatime teaser: DIALTWIN -> TAILWIND

Virtually no ad break at all (with one trailer for some property program or other), and that's it.

Round 10: S E L G I U T V O

Jasamrit: GLOVES (6)
Mick: OUTLIVES (8) (risk)
DC: OUTGIVES (8) EULOGIST (8)
OT: OVULITES (8)
Score: 56–68 (max 92, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 0/7 (0%)

An excellent risk from Mick extends his lead, and now Jasamrit is running out of time if he wants the prized land of octochampdom.

Round 11: P E S R C R E A D

Jasamrit: ESCAPED (7)
Mick: rescraped (risk)
DC: SCARPERED (18)
Score: 63–68 (max 110, jos 110)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

RESCRAPED^ is a very good try, but SCARPERED is the darrenic nine there - the first darren of the day - and Jasamrit is now within 5 points.

OOW Susie talks about blanc and how it has become bastardised in English: blank, blancmange, etc.

Round 12: C I R I E K M F N

Jasamrit: icerink
Mick: minkier
DC: INFIRM (6)
OT: CREMINI (7) FRICKEN (7)
Score: 63–68 (max 117, jos 116)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)

Nul points here: ICE RINK is two words, and MINKIER is another two-syllable-comparative mix-up.

Round 13: R A W N E T F S I

Jasamrit goes for a final consonant, but is overruled by Rachel as he has only picked two vowels...!

Jasamrit: WANTER (6)
Mick: fawniest (risk)
DC: TINWARE (7) WARIEST (7)
OT: ANTSIER (7) FAINTER (7) FAIREST (7) FAWNERS (7) FIRSTEN (7) FRETSAW (7) NASTIER (7) RANITES (7) RATINES (7) RESTAIN (7) RETAINS (7) RETINAS (7) RETSINA (7) SNIFTER (7) STAINER (7) STARNIE (7) STEARIN (7) SWIFTER (7) TAWNIER (7) TWINERS (7) WAITERS (7) WANTERS (7) WANTIES (7) WINTERS (7)
Score: 69–68 (max 124, jos 123)
Darren-o-meter: 1/10 (10%)

FAWNIEST^ was looked up by Susie, and rejected early. Both contestants miss approximately a trillion 7s.

Round 14: 6, 9, 1, 6, 1, 2. Target: 535.

Jasamrit: 534. (not written down) Mistake in working.
Mick: 540. 9 × 6 × (2 + 1 + 6 + 1) (7)
RR: 535. (9 × 6 × 2 − 1) × (6 − 1)​ (10)
Score: 69–75 (max 134, jos 133)

Well, Mick has the lead going into the crucial conundrum after Jasamrit gets it horribly wrong.

Round 15: E B A Y L U V I S

Jasamrit buzzes on 27.5 seconds to say VISUABLEY which is incorrect.
Mick does not buzz.
Rachel gives the answer, which was ABUSIVELY.
Final Score: 69–75 (max 144, jos 143)

Jasamrit's last-gasp guess (in every sense of the word) doesn't yield a positive result, giving Mick the scalp of a 7-time winner!

(Had MODIST been disallowed, Jasamrit would have won...)

Mick will be back tomorrow, when he'll be joined by someone else. Hopefully Channel 4 shows it on time. Goodbye.


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
Peter Mabey
Kiloposter
Posts: 1123
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:15 pm
Location: Harlow

Re: Wednesday 27 October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 87)

Post by Peter Mabey »

Disallowing UNTIMED was a surprise - especially as when having a quick game of solitaire in the ad-break I was offered the choice between timed and untimed.
Gavin Chipper
Post-apocalypse
Posts: 13215
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm

Re: Wednesday 27 October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 87)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I always go for MINUTED if I see untimed.
Post Reply